One of Those Malibu Nights (11 page)

She sat on the edge of the metal chair near Sunny, put the Maltese down and took a sip of her wine. “Are you working on my case then, Miss Alvarez?”

“Please, call me Sunny. And actually no, though I do know about your being followed.”

Sunny wasn’t about to tell the movie star she’d heard all about her storm of tears and confessions. No woman would care to have her life exposed to a stranger like that. Besides when Mac confided his business secrets to her he trusted her to keep them.

The captain’s bell jingled again and both women glanced inquiringly at Mac.

“That’ll be Roddy,” he said, heading for the door, leaving them alone.

“It must be awful, being stalked,” Sunny said with a little shudder. “I sympathize with you.”

“It’s certainly not comfortable,” Allie said.

From the house they heard Mac’s laugh and then Roddy’s voice, lighter than Mac’s and excited.

Allie looked expectantly toward the two men as they stepped out onto the deck. She’d thought she would be alone with Mac. Now not only was there another woman, there was
also another guy, Mac’s assistant, who she knew had been taking care of her problem when Mac was in Rome.

Roddy’s spiky hair was bleached platinum. He sported a spray-on tan, white linen shorts, a tight red Gaultier T-shirt and Havaianas flip-flops.

He hugged Sunny enthusiastically. “Missed you when you were in Rome,” he said, holding her away from him and smiling into her eyes, and Allie suddenly understood that Sunny had been in Rome with Mac.
And
for an entire week.

Sunny said, “Allie, this is Roddy Kruger, Mac’s assistant. And good friend.”

He was beaming at Allie, revealing the whitest teeth she had ever seen.

“Allie Ray! Oh … My … God!” He sank to his knees in front of her then took her hand and kissed it reverently. “I’ve loved you since forever,” he said dramatically. “You’re even more beautiful in person. I’m thrilled to meet you.”

He was so genuinely excited Allie smiled. He certainly wasn’t Sunny Alvarez’s boyfriend though. “I’m glad to meet you, Roddy.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “There,” she added, “now we really know each other.”

He scrambled to his feet, beaming back at her, his hand on his cheek. “I swear I’ll never wash that spot again,” he said, and they both laughed.

“Oh my God,” Roddy said again, as Mac handed him a glass of wine. “Will you just look at that dog. It is a
dog
, isn’t
it?” He glanced at Allie for confirmation and they all stared at her Maltese.

Looking like a white kitchen mop, Fussy was on her belly edging slowly toward Pirate, who sat frozen to the spot, his one wild eye glued on her.

“Oh my God!” Sunny whispered, repeating Roddy’s words. “We should do something.”

She meant Allie should do something, but Allie simply stared, and Mac held up a hand, watching silently.

Fussy inched closer. A quiver ran through Pirate’s body as she drew nearer. There was nowhere for him to run because the tide was already over the rocks.

Everybody held their breath. Fussy was twelve inches away and still Pirate sat transfixed. The Maltese lifted her head, button eyes peering at him through her fringe. A moment passed in silence. Then she rolled over onto her back, paws waving in the air, and peeked flirtatiously up at him.

“Well, the shameless little hussy,” Roddy said, breaking the silence. “Will you just look at her,
flirting
with Pirate.”

“And take a look a Pirate,” Mac added. There was a bewildered look on Pirate’s face as he bent his head and the two dogs sniffed, nose to nose. Then he wagged his tail and flopped down beside her.

“How about that? I believe Pirate’s in love,” Mac said, beaming at Allie.

Sunny’s heart sank. In the two years they had been together Tesoro had never as much as acknowledged Pirate’s
presence, except for the occasional snarl and swipe at his nose. Now Allie Ray’s Maltese had Pirate wrapped around her paws like a dog in love. All her theories about Mac not wanting to marry because their dogs were incompatible went out the window.

“I’ll take care of the pizza,” Roddy said, heading indoors. “We eating out there?” he called back to Mac.

“We are,” Mac said. “Unless you’re cold,” he added, looking, concerned, at Allie.

“Nothing a sweater couldn’t fix,” she replied. “I enjoy eating outdoors. Californians don’t do it often enough. Take advantage of our climate, I mean. I’ve learned to enjoy Malibu’s mists and winter storms as much as our beautiful sunny days, when you wonder why you would ever want to live anywhere else.”

“And would you? Ever want to live anywhere else, I mean?” Sunny asked.

Allie gave her a surprised look. “Sometimes I think about it,” she said. “Sometimes, I dream of another life.” Then she gave a quick shrug and added briskly, “But this is the life I created for myself. I’m a very lucky woman, I know. Millions of women would want to change places with me. Wouldn’t they?”

Her turquoise blue eyes fixed on Sunny, who said, surprised, “Yes, I’m quite sure they would. Though of course there would be no way to replace the real Allie Ray.”

“I need a magic wand to wave over my life,” Allie said
softly, as though she were voicing private thoughts, not meant for another’s ears. “All I need is that magic wand to make me disappear.”

Mac pushed open the rattling screen doors. “Pizza. Come and get it,” he said, as he and Roddy put two enormous pies on the redwood trestle table, plonking down bottles of wine and Pellegrino, as well as a container of hot chili peppers. Roddy added a bunch of paper napkins which blew away in the wind, sending him dancing after them. Mac offered Allie his old dark green cashmere sweater and received a smiling thank-you.

Sunny recognized that sweater. She had bought it for Mac a couple of Christmases ago. Buttoning her orange and pink striped cardigan, she took the chair next to Allie.

When they were all seated and their glasses filled Mac said, “Okay, first we have news, Allie.
Good
news,” he added. “Well, let me amend that.
In a way
it’s good news. The Sebring has not been seen since Lev has been guarding you.”

Her shoulders slumped. “But what about when he leaves? And anyway who is it? It’s so scary knowing someone is watching you, living your every moment. It’s as though they’re stealing your life.”

Sunny could see she was genuinely frightened. “You’ll be all right now,” she said gently. “Mac’ll sort it out.”

“It’ll be okay,” Mac told her. “We’re still working on it.” He was slicing the pizza with the expertise of decades of experience.
“Allie, I know you like anchovies. Sunny no. And Roddy just a little. You’ll have to scrape them off,” he added, putting loaded plates in front of Sunny and Roddy.

Sunny was worried. First the Maltese and Pirate and now the anchovies. Maybe she and Mac were not compatible after all. And Allie was so cute, drowning in Mac’s big green sweater, looking like a fragile mermaid ready to swim off into the ocean. Even Roddy was under her spell. From under her lashes, she saw Mac smile at Allie.

“So, when do you leave for Cannes?” he asked.

“In a couple of days. Not that I’m ready for it. In fact I’d rather not go, especially knowing what I know about the movie.” She shrugged and bit into her pizza. “But it’s my job. I’ll show up and I’ll do my best for them. After all, that’s why they pay me.”

Sunny took a bite of the pizza. It still tasted of the anchovies. In her lap the shivering Tesoro whinnied like a mini-pony. She got up, went inside, snatched a chenille throw from the sofa, wrapped the Chihuahua in it and went back out again. The wind was definitely chilly now, and like her dog, she shivered. Nobody, meaning Mac, took any notice. They were talking about Allie’s new movie, and about Cannes.

“You should come with me.” Allie was looking directly into Mac’s eyes. “I could use a friend. And we could talk about the situation with Ron, work out what to do. And about the stalker, and the letters. I simply don’t have time before I leave,” she added.

“Maybe I will,” Mac said.

Sunny’s heart sank. She was losing a battle she hadn’t even known existed. Scrambling to her feet again, she said, “Sorry, the jet lag is killing me. I have to go. I have an early start tomorrow.” Grabbing the whining Tesoro, she dropped quick kisses and called out goodbyes. She was surprised when Allie got to her feet to give her a hug. There was a look of distress on the movie star’s familiar face that spelled out her loneliness.

“Listen,” Sunny said, suddenly concerned, “if you need someone to talk to, call me. My number’s in the book.” Their eyes met. “I mean it,” she said gently. “Sometimes another woman’s opinion can help sort things out.”

Allie smiled and hugged her again. “I’m not used to women liking me,” she said. “Usually they’re jealous.”

Sunny smiled, guilty but absolved. Her jealousy had been temporary, even though she was leaving her lover in the company of the famous beauty. Call her crazy, she hoped she was doing the right thing. And anyhow the jet lag was true. She could hardly keep her eyes open.

Mac walked her to the door. He grabbed her shoulder, swung her round to face him. “You okay, honey?” he said.

She pulled the ribbon from her hair and tossed her head, sending her dark curls cascading in a J. Lo gesture that made her look even more beautiful and made Mac smile.

“Hey, babe, come on,” he said persuasively. “You’re not
jealous of Allie, are you? She’s just a lost soul, Sunny. It’s nothing personal.”

“I know,” she said, then added with a grin, “Just be careful, okay?”

Still, with Tesoro zipped safely inside her leather jacket, as she roared the Harley along PCH, heading toward Santa Monica, and Marina del Rey, she did wonder if she had made the right move.

The sound of Sunny’s bike faded and Roddy held Fussy on his lap, feeding her morsels of pizza. “It’s the anchovies she’s after,” he said, offering her another. Only this time Fussy bit his finger instead.

He glanced aggrieved at Allie, who sighed and said she was sorry and that Fussy had her problems. “She only has one love and that’s Ampara, my housekeeper,” she said. “And I can’t tell you how many times she’s bitten Ron.”

Mac took the chair next to her. “Speaking of Ron, have you seen him lately?”

“No, I have not seen him. He was due in court last week, something to do with the divorce proceedings, but he never showed. They issued a subpoena but haven’t been able to serve it because nobody can find him.”

“Think he’s avoiding your divorce issues?”

“Of course he is. Why else would he do a disappearing act? That is unless he’s run off with the other woman.”

Mac shook his head. “I can reassure you on that. He’s definitely not with the other woman. And she doesn’t know where he is either.”

“Am I allowed to ask how you know that?” Allie said.

“Better not. But I can tell you you don’t have to worry on that score.”

“This isn’t Ron’s first extramarital affair. He even hired one as his ‘secretary,’ and he bought her expensive gifts. The bills were supposed to go to the office but occasionally they would come to me by mistake. He was a generous man,” she added drily. “I remember a diamond watch that cost more than the one he’d given me.” She smiled. “That hurt. Though to tell you the truth by then I would have been happy with a bunch of daisies.”

“You’re worth more than that.”

She shrugged. “Now I can afford to buy my own diamonds, but you know how it is? It’s just not the same.”

“And that’s how things stand now?”

“That’s how things stood as of two weeks ago. Anyway,
where is
Ron?”

“That’s exactly what Demarco asked me today.”

“Sam Demarco?” Her tone was angry. “He calls himself a friend, but he muscled his way into Ron’s good books by persuading him to take it easy. ‘Take time off, play with the
girls, go on vacation,’ he said to him. I put part of the blame for our breaking up on Demarco.”

“So Ron seems to have left town with no forwarding address. And since the mistress is eliminated, can you think of any other reason he might want to disappear?”

She shrugged. “Business, you mean? I don’t know anything about that.”

“If Ron were to die, wouldn’t you inherit?”

Allie’s long blond hair shifted in the breeze. In a gesture graceful as a ballet dancer’s she wafted it out of her eyes.

“All I know is what I’m supposed to get in the prenup.”

“Plus whatever else your attorneys can negotiate over and beyond that. Given Ron’s rep with women.”

“Exactly.”

Roddy threw a glance at Mac. It was time for him to leave. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll call it a night.” He took a business card from his wallet and handed it to Allie. “Anything you need, just call. I’ll be there.”

She smiled as he bent to kiss her cheek. “Thank you again, Roddy. It was lovely meeting you.”

“My honor.” He backed away, bowing like a commoner before royalty and almost crashing into the plate-glass door, making them laugh.

“He’s so nice,” Allie said.

“He is,” Mac agreed.

Silence fell. The ocean roared in the background as the waves hit the rocks and a final lonely pelican raced home in the dark, wings whirring overhead.

“And so is Sunny,” Allie said into the silence. “She’s beautiful.”

“She is,” Mac agreed again.

Their eyes linked and the silence grew deeper. A world of possibilities stretched between them.

It was Mac who finally broke the spell, pouring wine into their glasses, throwing some leftover pizza to Pirate who wolfed it eagerly while Fussy watched from Allie’s
knee, tossing her fringe like a mini-movie star posing for the cameras.

“So how did you find Pirate?” Allie said.

“I saved him from a fate worse than death. Actually”—Mac glanced at Allie, who was sipping her wine, watching him—”I saved him
from
death.”

“Tell me,” she said.

“Well, as they say in the old potboilers, ‘it was a dark and stormy night.’ I was driving over Malibu Canyon when I saw this body in the road. A frowsy little mutt, just lying there, his head all bloody and one leg crushed so bad it was hanging off. I bent down to stroke his mangy fur, thinking what a way to die, hit by some speedster on a canyon road. But then the mutt opened an eye and looked at me. I’ll tell you it gave me quite a shock since I’d imagined he was dead. But there was a kinda hopeful look in that eye.” Mac shrugged. “What could I do? Of course I took off my shirt, wrapped him in it, put him in the back of the car and drove to the emergency vet in Santa Monica. I paid the necessary, told them to do their best and went on my way, glad that I’d at least given the mutt a chance. I went out of town and I didn’t pick up the vet’s message until a week later. The vet said, ‘We had to amputate your dog’s left hind leg and remove one eye. He’s on the mend. You can come and get him. He’s ready to go home.’